Why is IAF only air force to operate Jaguar? ALL about the fighter jet

It was the third crash of this kind this year when a twin-seat fighter Jaguar jet fell in Rajasthan's Churu district, killing the two Indian Air Force pilots on board. The first crash took place in Haryana's Panchkula on March 7 and the second in Jamnagar in Gujarat on April 2. The IAF is the only air force in the world to operate the Jaguar fighter jets, which were conceived in the 1960s.  Manufactured by SEPECAT (Societe Europeenne de Production de l'avion Ecole de Combat et d'Appui Tactique), a joint venture between Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation, it was sold to India, Ecuador, Nigeria and Oman. The Jaguar jet served with the French Air Force and the Royal Air Force as the main strike and attack aircraft.

IAF buys Jaguar fighter jets

Though India turned down the initial offer in 1968, it became the largest single customer and ordered jets worth $1 billion in 1978. The IAF preferred the Jaguar over the Dassault-made Mirage F1 and the Saab Viggen. The Indian Air Force bought 40 Jaguars built in Europe at Warton. Besides, it manufactured 120 fighter jets at  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under the local name Shamsher ("Sword of Justice"). The IAF used it in its war against Pakistan and praised it for its reliability. 

IAF uses Jaguars in Kargil War

After being fitted with the French Agave radar and powerful British anti-ship missiles, the Maritime Strike version was used to carry out reconnaissance missions for the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. The Jaguar fighter jets played active roles in the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan and dropped unguided as well as laser-guided bombs. The IAF called it a "deep penetrating strike aircraft". It continues to play important combatant roles along with the French-made Mirage 2000. It has also been described as one of the few aircraft capable of performing the nuclear strike role with reasonable chances of success.

IAF to retire Jaguars

As the Jaguar fighter jets have become almost obsolete, the Indian Air Force plans to retire the oldest batch of 60 aircraft from 2028 to 2031. The rest of the jets will be upgraded. As of 2024, 60 aircraft (more than half of the Jaguar fleet) are being upgraded to DARIN III standards.